While working on a presentation for new MEXT scholars on how they can advance their careers as Japanese Government Research Scholars, I thought it would be valuable to create a collection of the top resources for both expats and students in the Kansai Region of Japan, which primarily includes Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.

I absolutely love the idea of attracting what you want in life through visualization. After all, the most famous athletes, CEOs, and celebrities, use the law of attraction and visualizing your outcome or success to become successful in life. In fact, Jim Carrey famously wrote himself a check for $10 Million for acting services rendered, when he was penniless and broke. Not only do you have to be able to imagine yourself earning a check for $10 Million, but you also have to envision how you feel once you have achieved your goal. By going through the process of creating a vision board, you can think more deeply and critically about your goals, visions, dreams, and how you feel once you have achieved them. That’s why, a vision board can help you actualize your goals.

After researching vision boards and watching some of my favorite YouTube stars talk about them, I decided to create one on my own. But I wasn’t sure how I could create the most efficient and effective vision board.

To get to where you want to go, you first need to know where you want to go. Then, by applying the law of attraction, and visualizing your success, you can make things happen.

Thus for the past 2.5 years, I have been researching how women entrepreneurs in Japan leverage opportunities to build a business, and what makes them successful in the Japanese context. In order to research this question, I had to first understand the socio-economic, political, historical, and cultural environment for women entrepreneurs in Japan. And what better way to do that, then taking courses such as “Gender in Japan” at Kyoto University, as well as courses in the Graduate School of Management with actual women entrepreneurs in Japan.

For this reason and many others, in this article, I share my top 5 reasons for why I love studying at Kyoto University.

The sheer diversity in Kyoto is outstanding! Not only do you have the everyday tourist, but you also have the diverse array of students and faculty members from all over the world. According to a presentation by a Kyoto City Official at Kyoto Makers Garage, there are currently 150,000 students studying at 38 universities in Kyoto. And an astounding 9,000 of these students are from foreign countries. This means that 6% of all students are foreigners in Kyoto, and more impressively, students make up 10% of the population according to the International Student Study Kyoto Network.

Since the age of four, I have had eczema — 湿疹 or アトピー in Japanese. For those who have never had skin conditions, or do not know anyone with skin conditions, eczema is a non-contagious form of dermatitis. For me, it had quite debilitating physical and psychological effects during childhood, as it affected my appearance, and no child wants to be different from others.

In this article, I share detailed information about how I overcame eczema, and provide a glimpse into the life of someone who has suffered from eczema for over 25 years.

In late November 2018, I had the great fortune to participate in a cross-cultural exchange with students from National Taiwan University (NTU) — the best university in Taiwan. During an entire Sunday morning and afternoon, we had around 12 Kyoto University students present about their various research topics, as well as around 6 NTU students present about their own research and points of interest. And of course, I presented on my favorite topic of all time — women entrepreneurs and empowerment in Japan.

In late November 2018, I had the great fortune to attend the 1st ever Choice Network Conference in Tokyo about women’s empowerment, personal branding, and entrepreneurship. For half a day, I listened to top women in various industries such as the Chief Editor of a popular women’s magazine — Oggi, a female founder of a Women’s Empowerment Consulting Company in Japan, the General Manager of LVMH Group, and the Founder of the Choice Network.

KJ’s Ananya Mayukha interviews Julie Gramlich, a Masters student at Kyoto University, researching female entrepreneurship. Originally from San Francisco with cultural roots in Japan, Julie worked for a female founder in the Silicon Valley before receiving the Japanese Education Ministry’s MEXT scholarship to study the entrepreneurial environment for women in Japan. As part of this research, Julie has interviewed over 20 Japanese women in a range of fields: those who’ve started medical programs, bakeries, and networking platforms, among other businesses.

Due to the recent #MeToo campaign and subsequent high-profile, multi-million dollar payouts to top executives, I figured it's perfect timing to write about the future of creating a more inclusive work environment for all, so that no one ever has to feel like the only one in the room, nor do they have to worry about sexual harassment.

As a San Francisco native and a student who has lived in Kyoto for 2.5 years, I’d say that I have a fair amount of experience to talk about the major differences and similarities between the two cities. After all, the minute you move to a new country, you almost immediately began to compare it with ‘home.’

Why Did I Chose the EA Program at Kyoto University Versus the English Management School's IPROMAC Program at Kyoto University?

After many conversations with my Professor, Chihiro Suematsu, and students who were part of the IPROMAC program at Kyoto University, I decided that the English EA Economics Program was the best for me, because of the ability to spend more time researching (with half the number of units necessary to graduate compared to the English Management School's IPROMAC Program), and the Masters Thesis requirement.

Niyati Rawal is one of the most inspiring and intelligent young women that I know. Not only did she move to Japan at the age of 19 to spend one year studying Japanese intensively before pursuing a Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering degree at Osaka University, but she also published articles and conducted presentations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Needless to say, Niyati is a high achieving, intriguing, and most importantly, warm-hearted person with a bright future.

Niyati Rawal is one of the most inspiring and intelligent young women that I know. Not only did she move to Japan at the age of 19 to spend one year studying Japanese intensively before pursuing a Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering degree at Osaka University, but she also published articles and conducted presentations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Needless to say, Niyati is a high achieving, intriguing, and most importantly, warm-hearted person with a bright future.

In this fourth article, learn more about Niyati’s papers, publications, and presentations.

Niyati Rawal is one of the most inspiring and intelligent young women that I know. Not only did she move to Japan at the age of 19 to spend one year studying Japanese intensively before pursuing a Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering degree at Osaka University, but she also published articles and conducted presentations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Needless to say, Niyati is a high achieving, intriguing, and most importantly, warm-hearted person with a bright future.

In this third article, learn more about Niyati’s first year in Japan in an intensive Japanese Language Program as part of the Japanese MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship Program, and the start of her career at Osaka University as a Mechanical Engineering major.

Niyati Rawal is one of the most inspiring and intelligent young women that I know. Not only did she move to Japan at the age of 19 to spend one year studying Japanese intensively before pursuing a Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering degree at Osaka University, but she also published articles and conducted presentations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Needless to say, Niyati is a high achieving, intriguing, and most importantly, warm-hearted person with a bright future.

Niyati Rawal is one of the most inspiring and intelligent young women that I know. Not only did she move to Japan at the age of 19 to spend one year studying Japanese intensively before pursuing a Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering degree at Osaka University, but she also published articles and conducted presentations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Needless to say, Niyati is a high achieving, intriguing, and most importantly, warm-hearted person with a bright future.

In this first article, learn about Niyati’s application process for the Japanese MEXT Scholarship for the Undergraduate Program in India.

A jovial, kind-hearted, vibrant, and highly intelligent young man, Lincoln Waweru hails from Kenya. Relaxed, yet driven, Lincoln has the perfect personality for a challenging PhD research topic — the remediation and proper utilization of contaminated soils from an environmentally sustainable perspective at Kyoto University’s Global Environmental Studies Department. With plans to graduate in March 2020, Lincoln would love to work full-time in Japan or Kenya at potentially a university or a research company.